The Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970 after a decade of construction, changed the natural flow of the Nile River, which had followed a consistent pattern since ancient Egyptian times. Every year, from July to October, the Nile would swell due to heavy rains in Ethiopia, flooding the surrounding land before receding and leaving behind a thin layer of dark, fertile silt. This annual event, known as the Blue Nile flood, supplied 80% of Egypt’s river water and added about one to two centimeters of nutrient-rich soil each year. This natural process, repeated for thousands of years, provided farmers with free fertilization, supporting agriculture in the region. The dam effectively stopped the destructive floods, but it also blocked the flow of silt that had nourished the land for millennia. Lake Nasser, the massive reservoir behind the dam, can store 169 billion cubic meters of water—far more than needed. However, the river no longer carries silt to the Nile Valley and its delta. The dam blocks about 98% of the sediments, which once totaled around 240 million tons annually before 1970. This loss is equivalent to the weight of tens of millions of freight trucks that no longer reach the fields each year. The absence of natural silt has increased Egypt’s reliance on chemical fertilizers, costing hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Small farmers, in particular, have struggled, often needing to take out high-interest loans—between 15 and 25%—to afford these fertilizers. Meanwhile, the Nile Delta is sinking into the sea at a rate of 100 to 200 meters per year, threatening 124,000 hectares of farmland and coastal areas. Annual losses from this erosion are estimated at $100 to $200 million. Another issue is saltwater intrusion. Without the natural silt that once filtered out salt, seawater is seeping further inland, making the soil salty and raising groundwater levels near the Mediterranean. According to a U.S. university study, saltwater has been found up to thirty kilometers inland, a result of both groundwater pumping and land subsidence. Upstream, the Nile’s flow has also changed. Deprived of its sediment load, the river now flows faster and erodes its bed at a rate of 1.7 centimeters per year. In some areas, erosion has reached two to three meters, as the river carves its path without the material it once carried. While scientists disagree on the long-term impact, they all agree that a river without silt will eventually erode its own bed. Engineers and researchers have been exploring ways to artificially reintroduce silt and manage water releases from the Aswan Dam to mimic the natural flood cycle. However, none of these plans have been implemented on a large scale. As a result, silt continues to build up at the bottom of Lake Nasser, while the land downstream continues to lose its natural fertility and stability.